An image recording apparatus capable of performing a double-sided printing to record images on both sides of a recording sheet has been proposed (see, for example, JP-A-2001-83747). The image recording apparatus of this type feeds a recording sheet from a sheet feeding tray and conveys the fed sheet along a conveying path. An inkjet recording unit disposed along the conveying path ejects ink droplets to one side of the recording sheet, thereby recording an image. Subsequently, the recording sheet is sent back to an inversion path by a pair of discharge rollers and again fed to an upstream position (a position upstream of a recording unit) of the conveying path. The inkjet recording unit then records an image on the other side of the inverted recording sheet, and the sheet is later discharged.
The image recording apparatus described in JP-A-2001-83747 is configured to leave a recording sheet alone in a natural state on the inversion path, to thus be dried.
When a recording sheet soaked with ink droplets is dried, a curl occurs on the recording sheet, which is deformation of a sheet in the conveying direction.
In addition, the recording sheet immediately after performing the image recording is wet by the ink droplets. In order to prevent deterioration of the recorded image, one of the pair of discharge rollers is formed into the shape of a spur. However, the recording sheet wet from the ink droplets exhibits decreased stiffness and remains fragile. For this reason, a spur-shaped roller surface impresses the recording sheet, thereby leaving an imprint of the spur. The imprint of the spur left before drying of the recording sheet turns into a deformed knot, which would otherwise arise during drying of the recording sheet, whereby the number of crinkles increases.
In a case where the recording sheet with such crinkles or curl is inverted to record an image on the rear side of the sheet, when the recording sheet is again sent to the inkjet recording unit while a trailing end thereof is acting as a leading edge, the trailing end of the recording sheet may contact the inkjet recording unit, thereby causing a paper jam or blurring a recorded image.